A little more than a week before the second Hollister Airshow
kicks off, the Hollister Municipal Airport will be the home for
three rare World War II airplanes as part of the Collings
Foundation Wings of Freedom Tour.
A little more than a week before the second Hollister Airshow kicks off, the Hollister Municipal Airport will be the home for three rare World War II airplanes as part of the Collings Foundation Wings of Freedom Tour.
As part of the tour, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress “Nine O Nine” WWII Heavy Bomber, a Consolidated B-24 Liberator “Witchcraft” WWII Heavy Bomber and a P-51 Mustang will fly into the airport Wednesday and stay until Friday, according to a statement from Collings Foundation. The tour gives residents the opportunity to “visit, explore and learn” about the three historic aircrafts.
The B-17 is one of only 11 in flying condition in the United States, and the B-24 and P-51 are the last remaining planes of their type, according to the Collings Foundation release.
The aircraft will be available for residents to explore over the three days for $12 per adults and $6 for children. Tours of the vessels are free for all WWII veterans.
Visitors also can take a 30-minute flight inside the B-17 or B-14 for $425. Rides in the P-51 are $2,200 for 30 minutes and $3,200 for the full hour.
The planes are scheduled to arrive at 2 p.m. Wednesday. Tours are scheduled from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday. Tours for the planes will be open at 9 a.m. Thursday before closing at 5 p.m. Tours will begin at 9 a.m. Friday and end at noon, before the planes leave.
The Wings of Freedom Tour is in its 22nd year and visits more than 110 cities in more than 35 states each year. The tour is run by the Collings Foundation, a non-profit educational foundation that organizes “living history” events around the country.
The Collings Foundation calls the tour a “flying tribute to the flight crews who flew them, the ground crews who maintained them, the workers who built them, the soldiers, sailors and airmen they helped protect.”
